Tearing strip can



April 1944- E. A. MIGNACCO 2,346,385

TEARING STRIP CAN Filed Feb. 25, 1941 v 1 J 'iiii iiiiiiiii 4 l7 5 lllllllll; 2

INVENTOR Euazrrs A. M/a/m cco ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 11, 1944 1 -f.$ ,346,3 5 I TEARING STRIP CAN Eugene Albert Mignacco, San Francisco, Calif.,

assignor .to M..J. -B. Company, :San Francisco, I "Calif a corporation of Delaware Application February25, 1941, Serial No. 380,467

' W l ,1 Claim.) (01. 220-42) This invention relates to cans,and has reference more particularly to improvements means of that kind formed with a tearing'strip designed to be removed from the canbody-wall by'winding it onto a key for opening the can; the present invention dealing specifically'with novel features of construction of the tearing strip tongueand the key that is to be applied to the tongue for facture and use of cans embodying tearing strips designed to be removed by a winding jkey, is to provide a key with its shank formed withfav straight, longitudinally extending sl'ot ior ,1;eception of the end portion of the tearing strip tongue, and to make the tongue of such length that it can be projected throughthe slot and at least one turn taken about the key shank before] any substantial amount of tension is placed ,on the strip, thus to insure a holding connection that prevents the tongue from slipping tromthe key during the strip winding operation. To,pr,ovide this connection, it is required that Lthe tongue be approximately from three-fourths-of an inch to one inch in length. Furthermore, in considering the present invention, I have given thought to the fact that in present-daypoinmercial manufacture of tearing strip cans by mechanical devices, the rectangular body blanks of metal are prepared in definite widths and lengths, dependent upon the size of can to be made, and each blank includes at one end, that certain length of metal to the full width of the blank that is required for the length of the tearing strip tongue. With the understanding that the tongue length must be sufficient to effect a secure holding connection with the key at the start of the winding operation, by wrapping it at least once about the key shank, it is manifest that if this length could be shortened, it would be possible to shorten the body blank accordingly, and in View of the fact that cans are made by the millions, a very small decrease in length of each body blank would, over a period of time, result in a great saving of metal.

" In view of the above stated reasons for the invention, it has been the principalobject to so design the tearing strip tongue and the key therefor that a secure holding connection may be effected with a tongue of a length substantially shorter than that usually provided.

More specifically stated, the present invention resides in the provision of a tearing strip can wherein the tongue of the tearing strip is transversely warped, and the key for removal of the strip is formed with a slot that is shaped in accordance with the transverse warping or shaping of the tongue, so that, upon bending the tongue by the key at the start .ofthe strip winding operation, a kink will be made in the tongue which will effect a positive, holding connection of the tongue with the key, without any possibility of its slippage from the key slot.

Other objects of the invention reside in the specific details of construction of the tongue and key, and in their combination and mode of use, as will hereinafter be fully described.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. l is a perspective view, showing the upper endportion of a tearing strip can, particularly illustrating the, details of the tearing strip tongue.

' Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmental view showing, in perspective, a tearing strip tongue made according to the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a side view showing the tongue asapplied to a key preparatory to removal of the strip.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a part of the can showing the disposition of the tongue with the key applied thereto preparatory to winding the strip on the key. p t

Fig. '5 is a perspective View of a tongue of an alternative form.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a key to be used with tongues of the kind shown in Fig. 2.

Referring more in detail to the drawing I designates a tearing strip can of typical form, comprising a cylindrical body portion 2 that embodies the usual side seam 3. Secured to the end of the can, through the mediacy of a double seam, as designated at 4, is the can end wall 5. The can body 2 is formed about its upper end and adjacent the cover 5, with a tearing strip 6 that is set off between two parallel lines of scoring as designated at 1-1. At one end, the tearing strip terminates in a free tongue, indicated in its en- 2 p g, 4 tirety in Fig. 1, by reference numeral 8, and it is the understanding that a key, such as that indicated at) in Figs. 1 and 6, :be applied to the tongue 8 preparatory to the winding operation that is required for the removal of the tearing it is pulled upwardly, and the solder breaks free;

or, in some instances, provision is made for breaking oil the secured end portion of the key to release the key from the can wall. Y

The gist of the present invention resides in the specific features of formation of the tearing strip tongue, which permits .it tosbemade shorter 3 than is the usual practise, and in the key for s '20 removal of the strip. In Figs. 2 and 3, I' have illustrated one form of tongue which has been found practical and whichaccomplishes the present objects. In this particular form, the upper and lower edges of the tongue, adjacent the juncture with the tearing strip, are curved toward each other and lead into the upper and lower edges of the mainbody of the tongue, which is slightly narrower than the Width of the main body of the strip, and the tongue is bent along its longitudinal center line as at -l2, into a sort of V-shaped trough, as will beunderstood best by reference to Fig. 3, and it will be further understood, by reference to that View, that the ridge or vertex of the trough-like portion extends lengthwise of the tongue from its end for about one-fourth inch and the trough faces inwardly toward the can body wall. v V

In this manner of transversely bending the tongue, a sort of shoulder I 4' is formed directly across it at the inner end of the trough ridge, and in applying the key to the tongue, it is engaged with this shoulder.

The key ll] which is to be used for the removal of the tearing strip, comprises the end. loop Illa, forming 'a handle portion, and the shank lflb, in which there is provided a V-shaped slot l6, shaped in accordance with the transverse shape of the tongue, and of a size to receive the tongue therein; it being understood that the slot is so located in the key shank that the key may be applied to the tongue in the usual manner and that when applied, the key shank will extend transversely across the double seam, as in Fig. 3. When it is desired to wind the strip on the key, the latter is rotated in such manner as to cause the end of the tongue to swing outwardly, as indicated by the arrow adjacentthereto in Fig.4.

Assuming that the tongue is so formed, and that a key is applied to the tongue as illustrated, it is to be understood that when the key is turned for the initial winding operation, the tongue will kink closely adjacent the key, along the line of the transverse shoulder l4, while that warped part remains perfectl rigid by reason of the trough-like part. This results in efiecting a secure holding connection with the key that prevents any possible disconnection due to strain or pull that is incident to removal of the strip.

As an alternative construction, the key may be transversely cupped as at- [8 in Fig. 5 with a radial curvature or given a curvature of an oval or warped dorm other than fiat so that, with the tongue applied to the key and the initial turn made on the key shank, the tongue will be caused to kink in'a manner to prevent it from slipping f m the key slot.

' It'will also be. explained that, with the tongue transversely warped in any manner to give it a shape other than straight, and by shaping the key slot to receive and fit the tongue, there will be a natural bending or gripping effect incident to the winding operation.

It has been proven by actual use, that with the tongue so formed, the tongue may be shortened at least one-fourth inch, and in consideration of the vast numbers of cans made, this invention will result-in an immense saving of tin plate, as well as overcomingany tendency or possibility of the key becoming detached from the tongue in a winding operation.

It has been determined that the fact that the keywill be effectively secured to the tongue, is not due so much to the actual transverse shape of the tongue, as it is to the fact that the warpingrenders the short end portion of the tongue perfectly rigid, and this eliminates the tendency of the end portion of the tongue from slipping out of the key slot. Furthermore, the transverse shoulder that is formed incident to the troughing, not only serves as a limiting stop for the key as applied, but also forms a sort of kink which insures easy bending at this particular part of the tongue when the winding operation starts. This kinking aids also in insuring the holding of the'tongue in the key.

In view of the foregoing, it will be understood that this particular shaping of the tongue has its advantages whether or not the key slot is shaped in accordance with the transverse shape of the warped part of the tongue, and for this reason, the claim will be drawn to the 'tongue as well as to a combination of the'tongue and key.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein and Letters Patent is' In a'can of the characterdescribed, a tearin strip having a free tongue formed at its end'with a longitudinally troughed portion terminating in a transverse kink at the base of the troughedpordesire to secure by tion for easy bending by a key applied to the rigid portion.

EUGENE ALBERT lVlIGNAQCO." 

